John Singer Sargent is best remembered for his portraiture--especially of wealthy, socially prominent women. Mrs. Kate A. Moore, born Katharine Robinson, was a millionairess from Pittsburgh residing in Paris, where she entertained lavishly and defied the condescension of society wits.

Sargent depicts Moore in a strangely twisted pose, ingeniously representing her personality and her somewhat awkward yet commanding status in Parisian society. His development of such unconventional poses reinvigorated the tradition of portraiture.

Courtesy of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1972.